Malakhov's injury presses Seidenberg into service -- almost

May 05, 2004|By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call

Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock made an interesting move by giving defenseman Dennis Seidenberg his first sniff of the playoffs. After playing well for the team in 2002-03, Seidenberg found himself scratched from every playoff game last spring.

Seidenberg, who had been playing for the Phantoms since recovering from a broken leg, was going to be pressed into service because Vladimir Malakhov suffered concussion-like symptoms in Game 5 and was scratched Tuesday night.

The move also allowed Hitchcock to keep Sami Kapanen as a checking forward with the flexibility to move him back as a defenseman if things got rough. Kapanen did move back to defense early in the game.

In fact, Kapanen's play on defense didn't allow Seidenberg to get a shift in the period -- or the rest of the game. Kapanen, one of the smallest players on the ice, was a target, too. Toronto winger Chad Kilger kept laying checks on him in the opening period.

Discipline: One of the more remarkable feats in Game 6 was the restraint exhibited by Flyers captain Keith Primeau. During a second-period scrum along the boards, Primeau took 20 shots to the back from Toronto winger Gary Roberts and did not respond.

Roberts' second hit to the back put Primeau head-first into the boards. Referee Stephen Walkom failed to make a call on that hit, then let the rest go. After the puck finally cleared the zone, Primeau made a plea to the referee, only to see teammate Kim Johnsson draw a call for roughing after shoving Roberts in the shoulder near center ice.

Why, why, why?: Everyone is asking why the home team has had such an advantage in this series. The Flyers won all their home games (and are 6-0 at home) while the Leafs had won both previous games against the Flyers at the Air Canada Centre.

"Both sets of fans are really into this game right now," opined Hitchcock. "Pressure is something you had better learn to embrace. The team playing on home ice has been able to play at such a high emotional base that the other team can't catch up."

"I don't know if it is reasonable," Toronto coach Pat Quinn responded when asked if there was a reasonable explanation for both teams' dominance on home ice, "but I think you get momentum from your home crowd."

Quinn on Burke: Quinn took a few moments after Toronto's morning skate to address the Burke situation.

No, not Sean Burke; Brian Burke, who was fired as G.M. of the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.

"Brian has done a wonderful job there," said Quinn, who was fired by Vancouver a few years ago. "Normally, that allows you to stay in a place. But there are some factors that I'm not aware of."

Quinn was less than humble when he was fired by Vancouver, but resisted the temptation to throw out any shots at Canucks ownership while his own team was getting ready to fight for its playoff life.

Pitkanen Wakes Up: It's no secret Flyers rookie defenseman Joni Pitkanen earned a place in the postseason by attrition, not performance. Hitchcock said as much after announcing that Eric Desjardins would miss the entire playoff season due to a refracture of his right forearm.

But Pitkanen hasn't played that badly, and has added some offensive snap from the blue line. He's suddenly developed a willingness to hit as well, something he hadn't been doing during the regular season.

"It's very much different than the regular season," Pitkanen said. "It's fun, it's crazy, it's so fast."

Pitkanen knew the playoffs were destined to be more intense after listening to tales from some of the Flyers' veterans, but he certainly wasn't prepared for what he has seen.

"It's more challenging, but it's also more fun," he said.

Also Scratched: Leafs defenseman Ken Klee, scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on his knee, was scratched. Klee was replaced by Karel Pilar, who had not seen NHL playoff action since 2002.